System, Method and Apparatus for Communicating With Vehicle Occupants

ABSTRACT

An application for a two-way communication system for communicating with a person who is within a vehicle includes a short-range radio transmission to transmit audio to a radio within the vehicle. Communication from the person is done by reflecting a light beam on a window of the vehicle and receiving the light beam. The light beam is modulated by vibration of the window caused by the person&#39;s voice. The received light beam is then processed to reproduce the sound of the person&#39;s voice.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/464,915, filed May 13, 2009, which takes priority from U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/189,024; filed Aug. 15, 2008,the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of communications and moreparticularly to a system for communicating with an occupant of a sealedvehicle.

BACKGROUND

There are many needs for communicating with an occupant of a vehicle,car, bus, truck, etc. Examples of such are to initiate a transaction ata drive through, answering questions at a roadblock or checkpoint,during a traffic stop, etc. Currently, to perform such communicationsrequires an occupant of the vehicle open a window or door andcommunicate through that open window or door.

An example of such communication occurs when one places an order at anorder taking position of a fast food restaurant. In such, the occupantmust roll down their window (or open their door) and verballycommunicate with a speaker and microphone located at the order takingposition. By opening the window, the occupant is exposed, not only tothe weather, but to a potential of theft, bodily injury or carjacking.Meanwhile, the person taking the order is safe, dry and warm inside thefast food restaurant. To further compound the difficulty incommunication, often the speaker is of inadequate quality to clearlyhear the order taker and the background noise coupled with microphonequality and position makes it difficult for the order taker to hear andunderstand the occupant of the vehicle.

In certain climates, weather makes it uncomfortable and inconvenient forthe occupant to open their window. In some location, cold weatherincludes temperatures well below zero, wind, rain, hail, snow, blowingsnow, blowing sand and dust, etc. It is often uncomfortable to open awindow in such climates, especially when young children are alsosituated in the vehicle. Many potential customers of establishments withdrive-thru facilities are dissuaded from frequenting such establishmentsduring bad weather.

In certain neighborhoods, it is dangerous to open a vehicle window forfear that a suspect will reach in the vehicle, cause bodily injury, grabsomething of value, coerce the occupant into getting out, etc. Manypotential customers of establishments with drive-thru facilities aredissuaded from frequenting such establishments due to fear of lostvaluables and/or bodily harm.

In certain law-enforcement situations it becomes necessary for a lawofficer, border guard, sentry, etc, to communicate with a vehicleoccupant. For example, when a law officer makes a traffic stop, theofficer must communicate with the driver to inform them of what they didwrong (speeding), get their name, license number, insurance company,etc. Similarly, at a checkpoint such as at a roadblock, border, etc, itis sometimes needed to ask questions of the vehicle occupants. The sameor similar environmental and safety issues are present in thesesituations. For example, when a law officer makes a traffic stop, itmight be raining, snowing, etc. Often, the officer must get out of theirvehicle to retrieve the driver's information, return to their vehicle toaccess their computer system and issue the summons, then exit theirvehicle to present the summons to the driver. This exposes the officerto the elements and increases the risk of the officer being hit by apassing vehicle, especially in bad weather. Furthermore, the initialconfrontation with the driver is a dangerous situation for the officer.If the individual is wanted for something serious, has a gun or isotherwise dangerous, the initial confrontation often becomes a lifethreatening situation for the officer.

There are existing ways to perform such communications, none of whichare practical. For example, a cellular phone can be used to call thefast food establishment to place an order just before approaching thepick-up window. This is not practical for several reasons: not everybodyhas a cell phone, cell phone minutes cost money that most don't want towaste and use of a long-range device such as a cell phone does notestablish a working queue for the pick-up window, therefore a firstperson might arrive at the window and their order is not ready while theorder is ready and getting cold for the fifth person in queue.

Another way to perform such communications is with a short-rangewireless communication device such as a walkie-talkie. This solutionwould work if everybody had such a device and there were sufficientchannels such that one wouldn't be placing an order at one fast foodestablishment and the order be taken at a different establishment.

There are known one-way methods of communicating with a vehicleoccupant. For years, it has been known to locally transmit audio tooccupants of vehicles through the ubiquitous AM/FM radio present inalmost every vehicle. This has been done to warn drivers of weather andtraffic issues, to guide drivers into theme parks, to describeattractions as the occupants drive through (e.g., animal parks), etc.This has long been used as an inward way to communicate in one directionand has no way for the vehicle occupant(s) to communicate outwardly.

Another one-way method of communications that has been around for manyyears utilizes light energy reflected off of a window such that, when anoccupant behind the window makes noise, the noise causes the windowglass to vibrate, thereby modulating the reflected light energy. Thereflected light energy is received by a sensor and the sound isdemodulated or extracted out of the reflected light. The light is oftenfrom a laser to provide an accurate, directional beam. This has beenused, predominately in ease dropping, probably originating with LeonTheremin in the Soviet Union approximately 1947 using a low-power infrared beam instead of a laser. For example, a spy would sit in a hotelacross from an embassy with such a device and listen in on what wasbeing said behind closed doors within the embassy. Nowadays, laserlistening devices similar to these are available to the amateur spy frommany suppliers on the Internet.

What is needed is a system that will enable two-way communicationwithout requiring opening of the vehicle.

SUMMARY

A two-way communication system for communicating with a person who iswithin a closed vehicle is disclosed. Communication to the person isdone with a short-range radio transmission to a radio within thevehicle. Communication from the person is done by reflecting a lightbeam on a window of the vehicle and receiving the light beam, which ismodulated by vibration of the window caused by the person's voice. Thereceived light beam is then processed to reproduce the sound of theperson's voice.

In one embodiment, a vehicle communication system is disclosed includinga device for transmitting a first signal to a radio within a vehicle anda second device for receiving a second audio signal from within thevehicle. The first signal includes a first audio signal. The vehiclecommunication system includes a light source, a light detector, and anaudio detector. The light source emits light toward a window of thevehicle and the light detector is positioned to receive at least somereflected light from the light as the light reflects off of the window,converting the reflected light into an electrical signal. The audiodetector is electrically coupled to the light detector such that theaudio detector extracts the second audio signal from the reflected lightreceived by the light detector being that the reflected light ismodulated by a voice of the occupant of the vehicle.

In another embodiment, a method of communicating with a person within avehicle is disclosed including transmitting a first audio signalmodulated on a radio frequency to a radio within a vehicle and emittinga light beam towards a window of the vehicle. At least some of the lightbeam reflected from the window of the vehicle is then received and asecond audio signal is extracted from the reflected light beam.

In another embodiment, a vehicle communication apparatus is disclosedincluding a radio frequency transmitter that modulates a first audiosignal onto a radio frequency signal for reception by a radio within thevehicle. A light source emits light towards a window of the vehicle. Adetector is also aimed at the window and positioned to receive at leastpart of the light reflected from the window of the vehicle, convertingthe light into an electrical signal. An audio detector is coupled to thedetector to extract a second audio signal from the electrical signal andan audio output device receives the second audio signal from the audiodetector and reproduces the second audio signal to be audible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be best understood by those having ordinary skill inthe art by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a system of the prior art.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a system of a first embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of a system of a first embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a second plan view of a system of a first embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a plan view of a system of a second embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic view of a system of a first embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic view of a system of a second embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferredembodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description,the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures.

Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a system 2 of the prior artwill be described. Presently, the typical drive-through customer orderinterface 2 consists of a speaker and a voice pickup located withinrange of a vehicle 10. In some cases, the speaker is integrated into asign 24 and the sign often presents a menu of ordering options to thedriver 12 of the car 10. The voice pickup is often located either on thesign 24 or in a separate structure 26 for sound isolation from thespeaker. In operation, the driver 12 opens their window, speaks into thevoice pickup and listens to the order-taker who is typically within theestablishment 22. After placing the order, the driver 12 typicallydrives the car to a pickup window that is physically on theestablishment 22 where the order is paid for and delivered to thedriver. Most vehicles have some sort of AM and/or AM/FM and/or FM radiowith an antenna 14 (some antennas are integrated into the vehicle glassor other part of the vehicle).

Several problems exist with the system 2 of the prior art. One isweather. During rain, snow, sleet, hail, dust storms, high winds, etc,it is often undesirable to open one's window, after which, the driver 12and passengers are exposed to such elements. Furthermore, the rain,dust, etc, are harmful to the interior of the vehicle 10, causingdiscoloring, mildew, stains, etc. Another problem is insects such asmosquitoes, bees, wasps, hornets, etc. Once the driver 12 opens his orher window, any sort of insect is capable of entering the vehicle,possibly causing irritation or worse, a distraction, especially if theinsect bites or stings the driver. Another problem is allergies, inthat, during allergy season, many drivers 12 and occupants are best offin closed confinement and, opening of the window, allows a greaternumber of allergens into the vehicle. Another problem is security. Thereare many reported cases of theft, assault, carjacking, bodily injury andthe like occurring when the driver 12 of the car 10 opens their windowto place an order in a system 2 of the prior art. Once the window isopen, the driver 12 is vulnerable to attack from a perpetrator thatsneaks up from behind.

Referring to FIG. 2, a perspective view of a system 20 of a firstembodiment of the present invention will be described. Althoughapplicable to many vehicle-building interface situations, including, butnot limited to, fast-food or other food-related drive-through systems,banking systems, car washes, etc, the present invention is shown in anexemplary system for a food-related, drive-through. In the exampleshown, the vehicle 10 is at an order-taking position of a typicaldrive-through establishment 22. The driver 12 has not opened his or herwindow 16 and is in communication with the order taking person (notshown) who is inside the establishment 22. Ordinarily, it would bedifficult for the order taking person to be able to hear the driver 12,but the order taking station includes a communication system 31 housedin, for example a free-standing communications box 30, although anyparticular mounting of the communication system 31 is anticipated,including mounting it within signage 24.

The communication system 31 includes a voice detector 32/34 and ashort-range radio frequency transmitter 88 (see FIG. 6) with antenna 36.In a preferred embodiment, the voice detector 32/34 includes a lighttransmitter 32 and a light receiver 34. Light is transmitted from thelight transmitter 32, reflects off of the car window 16 and thenreflected light is detected by the light receiver 34. As the driver 12speaks, the window vibrates causing the reflected light signal to bemodulated with the driver's voice. The reflected light signal is thendemodulated and the voice is detected and relayed to the order taker(not shown) within the establishment 22. It is anticipated that afterdetecting the voice, the voice signal is amplified, optionallyfiltered/noise canceled, and then sent to the order taking stationwithin the establishment 22 over wires or over a wireless connection, asknown in the industry.

Although any form/wavelength of light is anticipated, the preferred usesa low-power laser beam. Such a low power laser beam is easier to detectin bright sunlight and has good directionality. Although the presentinvention works well with ordinary reflection from the typical carwindow 16, it is also anticipated that in alternate embodiments, areflective sticker is affixed to a surface of the window 16 to improvereflection of the light. When provided, some embodiments of the stickerinclude advertising on the outside and/or inside surface and/or amessage on the inside surface (e.g., “Tune to 100.2 FM”). In someembodiments, the sticker includes a bar code that is detectable by thevoice detector 32/34. In such embodiments, the bar code is used torecall previous interactions with the car/vehicle 10 to provide enhancedservices such as recalling previous orders, recalling acredit-card-on-file or recalling the driver's name, etc.

In an alternate embodiment, the driver's 12 voice is detected by ahigh-gain microphone instead of reflected light. This embodimentrequires a great deal of filtering and noise cancellation to rid thevoice signal of extraneous noise from the vehicle 10 and theenvironment.

So that the driver 12 hears the order taker, a voice transmitter isprovided. Although a highly amplified voice speaker is anticipated, thisis not a preferred embodiment due to the disturbance it would create aswell as the poor quality of the sound that makes it into the vehicle 10with closed window 16. Instead, the preferred embodiment employs ashort-range radio transmitter 88 (see FIG. 6) within the communicationsystem 31, which transmits a radio signal from the antenna 36 to thevehicle radio 15 (see FIG. 3) through the vehicle antenna 14 (any formof vehicle antenna 14 is anticipated). It is preferred that the radiotransmitter 88 transmits over a locally unused AM or FM radio channel.This is preferred because most vehicles 10 are factory equipped with anAM radio, an FM radio or an AM/FM radio. It is also anticipated that theradio transmitter 88 transmits simultaneously on both an AM station andan FM station.

Referring to FIG. 3, a plan view of a system of a first embodiment ofthe present invention will be described. The communication system 31includes a voice detector 32/34 and a short-range radio frequencytransmitter 88 (see FIG. 6) with antenna 36. In a preferred embodiment,the voice detector 32/34 includes a light transmitter 32 and a lightreceiver 34. Light is transmitted from the light transmitter 32,reflects off of the car window 16 and then reflected light is detectedby the light receiver 34. As the driver 12 speaks, the window 16vibrates causing the reflected light signal to be modulated with thedriver's voice. The reflected light signal is then demodulated and thevoice is detected (see FIG. 6) and relayed to the order taking station(see FIG. 6) within the establishment 22. It is anticipated that afterdetecting the voice, the voice signal is amplified, optionallyfiltered/noise canceled, and then sent to the order taking stationwithin the establishment 22 over wires or over a wireless connection, asknown in the industry.

Although any form/wavelength of light is anticipated, the preferred usesa low-power laser beam. Such a low power laser beam is easier to detectin bright sunlight and has good directionality. Although the presentinvention works well with ordinary reflection from the typical car 10window 16, it is also anticipated that in alternate embodiments, areflective sticker is affixed to a surface of the window 16 to improvereflection of the light. When provided, some embodiment of the stickerinclude advertising on the outside and/or inside surface and/or amessage on the inside surface (e.g., “Tune to 100.2 FM”). In someembodiments, the sticker includes a bar code that is detectable by thevoice detector 32/34. In such embodiments, the bar code is used torecall previous interactions with the car/vehicle 10 to provide enhancedservices such as recalling previous orders, recalling acredit-card-on-file or recalling the driver's name, etc.

Referring to FIG. 4, a second plan view of a system of a firstembodiment of the present invention will be described. The driver 12receives audio from the order taker position (see FIG. 6) from ashort-range radio transmitter 88 (see FIG. 6) with an antenna 36. Thepreferred embodiment employs a short-range radio transmitter 88 (seeFIG. 6) within the communication system 31, which transmits a radiosignal from the antenna 36 (any antenna known in the industry) to thevehicle radio 15 through the vehicle antenna 14 (any form of vehicleantenna 14 is anticipated). It is preferred that the radio transmitter88 transmits over a locally unused AM or FM radio channel. This ispreferred because most vehicles 10 are factory equipped with an AMradio, an FM radio or an AM/FM radio. It is also anticipated that theradio transmitter 88 transmit simultaneously on both an AM station andan FM station.

Referring to FIG. 5, a plan view of a system of a second embodiment ofthe present invention will be described. The present invention providesa high-quality, two-way audio communications system between a firstentity such as vehicle (e.g. a car 10 with windows closed) and secondentity such as a store/fast food restaurant, military check-point, etc.In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the second entity is another vehicle50, shown as a law-enforcement vehicle 50. In this example, the vehicle10 is the subject of a traffic stop by the law-enforcement vehicle 50.Prior to the present invention, the officer 57 had to exit their vehicle50 and approach the suspect vehicle 10 in order to obtain informationfrom the driver 12 (e.g., license, registration, and proof ofinsurance). Not only is this inconvenient in bad weather, but this hasproven dangerous in many situations due to criminal activity within thevehicle 10 as well as dangers from other motorists, especially onhigh-speed roads.

To provide the communications between the occupants of the first vehicle10 with the occupant of the second vehicle 50, the second vehicle 50 isequipped with the communication system of the present invention. Theofficer 57 speaks into a microphone 80 (see FIG. 7) and his or her voiceis transmitted to the occupants of the first vehicle 10 over ashort-range radio frequency signal transmitted between an antenna 56 onthe second vehicle 50 to an antenna 14 on the first vehicle 10 and theninto a radio 15 within the first vehicle 10 which reproduces theofficer's voice. When the occupant(s) 12 of the vehicle 10 speak, thewindow 17 of the first vehicle 10 vibrates sympathetically with theoccupant's voice. The vibration is detected by the light transceiver 52mounted on the second vehicle 50 (shown on the roof, but any location isanticipated). In this way, the officer 57 hears whatever is being saidwithin the first vehicle 10.

It is anticipated that some privacy issues may result in the use of suchsystems and, such issues, if they occur, need to be dealt with throughlegislation or other means. For example, it is anticipated that a law bepassed to permit an officer 57 to begin reception of audio from theoccupant(s) 12 of the first vehicle 10 as soon as they turn on theircherry light 59 and/or siren (not shown).

It is also anticipated that, the officer 57 needs to communicate to theoccupant(s) 12 that the occupant(s) 12 need tune their radio to aspecific frequency. It is anticipated that this be a community-wide norm(e.g., everybody in Saint Petersburg Florida understands that they needto tune to FM 100.1 when stopped by an officer 57) or by a sign or loudspeaker mounted on the law-enforcement vehicle 50.

It is also anticipated that, to reduce privacy issues, thelaw-enforcement vehicle 50 is equipped with a detector that detects theradio station to which the radio 15 is tuned. In this, the radio 15 hasa local oscillator (not shown) as known in the industry and the localoscillator matches the frequency of the radio station to which theoccupant(s) 12 are tuned. The law-enforcement vehicle 50 has a sensitiveRF detector, as known in the industry, that, upon detecting that theradio 15 is tuned to the specified station (e.g., FM 100.1), the voicesensor 52 is enabled. In such, the occupant(s) 12 are “givingpermission” to the officer 57 by tuning to the prescribed station.

Referring to FIG. 6, a schematic view of a system of a first embodimentof the present invention will be described. In this example, amicrophone 80 is connected to an amplifier 82 that amplifies the voicefrom personnel within the establishment 22. The amplified audio (firstaudio signal) is connected to an RF transmitter 86 within thecommunication system 31 (e.g., within or remote from the personnel andestablishment 22 through cables and/or wireless means as known in theindustry). The RF transmitter 88 modulates the audio using, for example,audio modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM) or any known modulationtechnique. The modulated RF signal passes out of the communicationsystem 31 via an antenna 36, as known in the industry.

In this example, a laser diode 98 is utilized, though any known sourceof light is anticipated. The laser diode 98 is controlled by a drivercircuit 99, as known in the industry and emits light through the lighttransmitter orifice 32. The light reflects off of the vehicle window 16and back though the light receiver orifice 34 and onto a detector 96, inthis example, a photo diode, although any known detection device isanticipated. The light detector 96 converts the light reflected from thewindow 16 into an electrical signal. The light detector 96 is coupled toa detection circuit 94 which extracts a second audio signal from theelectrical signal. This second audio signal is passed through anoptional filter 92. The filter 92 removes unwanted noise such as thatcaused by the vehicle's engine. The second audio signal is amplified byan optional amplifier 90 (as known in the industry) and coupled to apower amplifier 86 (e.g., within the establishment) by wired or wirelessmeans, as known in the industry. The power amplifier 86 amplifies theaudio sufficiently to drive a speaker 84 and/or headphones (not shown)to reproduce the second audio signal in an audible fashion. Many othercircuits and/or arrangements are known and anticipated, the one shown inFIG. 6 being but one example of such.

Referring to FIG. 7, a schematic view of a system of a second embodimentof the present invention will be described. In this example, amicrophone 80 is connected to an amplifier 82 that amplifies the voicefrom personnel within, for example, the law enforcement vehicle 50. Theamplified audio is connected to an RF transmitter 88 within thecommunication system 31. The RF transmitter modulates the audio using,for example, audio modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM) or anyknown modulation technique. The modulated RF signal passes out of thecommunication system 31 via an antenna 56, as known in the industry.

In this example, a laser diode 98 is utilized, though any known sourceof light is anticipated. The laser diode 98 is controlled by a drivercircuit 99, as known in the industry and emits light through the lighttransmitter orifice 32 of the vehicle transceiver 52. The light reflectsoff the vehicle window 16 and back though the light receiver orifice 34and onto a detector 96, in this example, a photo diode, although anyknown detection device is anticipated. The detector 96 converts thereflected light into an electrical signal. The electrical signal fromthe detector 96 is coupled to a detection circuit 94 which extracts asecond audio signal. This second audio signal is passed through anoptional filter 92. The filter 92 removes unwanted noise such as thatcaused by the vehicle's engine. The second audio signal from the filter92 is amplified by an optional amplifier 90 (as known in the industry)and coupled to a power amplifier 86 (within the law enforcement vehicle50) as known in the industry. The power amplifier 86 amplifies thesecond audio signal sufficiently to drive a speaker 84 or headphones(not shown), making the second audio signal audible to a person. Manyother circuits and/or arrangements are known and anticipated, the oneshown in FIG. 7 being but one example of such.

Equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above suchthat they perform in substantially the same manner in substantially thesame way for achieving substantially the same result.

It is believed that the system and method as described and many of itsattendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description. Itis also believed that it will be apparent that various changes may bemade in the form, construction and arrangement of the components thereofwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or withoutsacrificing all of its material advantages. The form herein beforedescribed being merely exemplary and explanatory embodiment thereof. Itis the intention of the following claims to encompass and include suchchanges.

1. A vehicle communication system comprising: means for transmitting afirst signal to a radio within a vehicle, the first signal including afirst audio signal; means for receiving a second audio signal from anoccupant of the vehicle, the means for receiving the second audio signalincludes a light source, a light detector, and an audio detector; thelight source emits light toward a window of the vehicle, the lightdetector is positioned to receive at least some reflected light from thelight as the light reflects off of the window and the light detectorconverts the reflected light into an electrical signal, and the audiodetector is electrically coupled to the light detector whereas the audiodetector extracts the second audio signal from the electrical signal;the reflected light is modulated by a voice of the occupant of thevehicle causing vibration of the window of the vehicle.
 2. The vehiclecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the light source is a source oflaser light.
 3. The vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein thelight source is a semiconductor laser diode.
 4. The vehiclecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the light detector is a photodiode.
 5. The vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein the audiodetector further comprises a filter, the filter removing at least someenvironment noise from the reflected light.
 6. The vehicle communicationsystem of claim 1, wherein the means for transmitting the first signalis a radio transmitter.
 7. A method of communicating with a personwithin a vehicle, the method comprising: transmitting a first audiosignal modulated on a radio frequency to a radio within a vehicle;emitting a light beam towards a window of the vehicle; receiving atleast some of the light beam reflected from the window of the vehicle;and extracting a second audio signal from the vehicle from the reflectedlight beam.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of emitting thelight beam includes emitting light from a laser light source.
 9. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the step of emitting the light beam includesemitting light from a semiconductor laser diode.
 10. The method of claim7, wherein the step of receiving uses a photo diode.
 11. The method ofclaim 7, further comprises after the step of extracting, a step offiltering noise from the second audio signal to remove at least someenvironment noise.
 12. The method of claim 7, wherein the radiofrequency is in a band selected from the group consisting of the AM bandand the FM band.
 13. A vehicle communication apparatus comprising: aradio frequency transmitter, the radio frequency transmitter modulates afirst audio signal onto a radio frequency signal; a light source, thelight source emits light in a direction towards a window of a vehicle; adetector positioned to receive at least part of the light that isreflected from the window of the vehicle, the detector converting the atleast part of the light that is reflected from the window of the vehicleinto an electrical signal; an audio detector operatively coupled to thedetector receives the electrical signal, the audio detector extracts asecond audio signal from the electrical signal; and an audio outputdevice, the audio output device receives the second audio signal fromthe audio detector and reproduces the second audio signal to be audible.14. The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 13, wherein the lightsource emits a laser light.
 15. The vehicle communication apparatus ofclaim 13, wherein the light source is a semiconductor laser diode. 16.The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 13, wherein the detector isa photo diode.
 17. The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 13,wherein the detector further comprises a filter, the filter removing atleast some environment noise.
 18. The vehicle communication apparatus ofclaim 13, wherein the radio frequency transmitter is an FM radiotransmitter.
 19. The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 13,wherein the radio frequency transmitter is an AM radio transmitter. 20.The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 13, wherein the audiooutput device is a speaker.